1. Field Of The Invention
The invention relates to freeze-proof hydrants having a removable cartridge therein. The invention also relates to freeze-proof wall hydrants and freeze-proof yard hydrants having a removable cartridge therein. The invention also relates to removable cartridges or subassemblies for such freeze-proof hydrants.
2. Background Art
Freeze-proof wall hydrants or faucets are known in the art. Freezeless faucets are mounted on the exterior of a building with the valve extending inwardly with respect to the building to a point where the valve is protected from freezing by the interior warmth of the building. The handle and nozzle are located on the exterior of the building. After extended use, various interior parts of the freezeless faucet often become worn and need replacement. The use of removable cartridges in freeze-proof wall hydrants or faucets are known.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,688,976 discloses a non-freezing hydrant which includes a housing for disposal below the frost line of the earth, a water supply pipe attached to the housing, a riser attached to the housing extending upwardly therefrom and an open head attached to the upper end of the riser having a laterally extending spout. A valve casing is fixed in the housing and has an axially extending bore. A conical shaped valve is movable into and out of the bore of the valve casing. A valve rod is attached to the valve and extends upwardly through the riser and open head. There is means for moving the valve rod and valve longitudinally. An elastic sleeve is concentrically disposed on the valve rod and in spaced relation to the rod and the riser and disposed in the riser. There is means for securing the lower end of the sleeve to the valve casing. A circular member in the upper end of the open head has means for attaching the upper end of the elastic sleeve thereto. There is means to hold the circular member in spaced relation to the valve. A cap is disposed on the head for supporting the circular member in the riser. There is means for directing the flow of water through the riser to the spout in the head on the outer side of the elastic sleeve. The valve casing, valve, valve rod and elastic sleeve are removable as a unit upon removal of the cap from the head and the valve casing from the housing.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,783,773 discloses a faucet having a faucet body with an annular valve seat therein and a faucet nut thereon. There is a valve replacement which includes a tubular cylindrical plug of uniform internal and external diameter, a gasket between one end of the plug and faucet valve seat, an annular flange on the inside of the plug intermediate its ends, and outlet ports in the plug between the flange and the other end of the plug. There is a valve stem in the plug having a valve washer in the one end of the plug and a head in the other end of the plug. There is a compression spring on the stem between the head and the flange for urging the washer against the flange, and a nut having a cylindrical external surface of the same diameter as the plug abutting the other end of the plug. There is also a ring secured by the faucet nut for retaining the cylindrical nut, and a handle stem threaded in the cylindrical nut and having an inner end arranged to bear against the head to unseat the washer from the flange when the handle stem is turned. A washer is secured on the inner end of the handle stem to prevent withdrawal of the handle stem from the cylindrical nut.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,131,711 discloses a water hydrant.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,926,207 discloses a yard hydrant designed to eliminate the standard drain hole in devices of this type. Water in the standpipe that previously drained to the outside when the hydrant is closed is collected in a storage reservoir established in the hydrant casing and is available therefrom for subsequent use. The reservoir exists between a sealed bottom end associated with valve means to the source of water supply and a movable top end defined by a sealing means, such as, cup washers, O-rings or the like, on a reciprocal standpipe whereby the size of the reservoir area is expanded with the closing of the valve means to accommodate the drain water and is reduced with the opening of the hydrant valve causing the stored water to pass through the standpipe and out of the hydrant nozzle with the incoming water. The standpipe, hydrant valve means and related parts establishing the reservoir chamber are so attached to the hydrant head that they can be conveniently withdrawn as a unit from the hydrant casing for repairs or maintenance.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,943,963 discloses a frostproof hydrant structure which includes an elongated casing adapted for connection at an inner end portion thereof with a freeze-protected fluid source and having an opposite outer delivery end portion which may be exposed to freezing conditions, and valve means within the casing adjacent to the inner end portion for controlling fluid flow from the fluid source to the delivery end portion. There is valve operating means accessible adjacent to the delivery end portion. The valve means include a valve seat body fitting replaceably within the inner end portion of the casing and a movable valve member cooperating with the valve seat body. There is means removably connecting the valve operating means to the outer end portion of the casing, and means coupling the operating means in a unitary assembly with the valve member and the valve seat body. This apparatus enables the operating means to actuate the valve member between valve open and valve closed positions relative to the valve seat body and enables insertion of the valve seat body and the valve member together into the casing and removal thereof together from the casing through the outer end portion of the casing as permitted by the unitary assembly with the operating means. The valve seat body includes an annular seat portion with which the valve member is engageable in closing relation. The valve operating means includes an actuating member attached to the valve member. There is a concentric guide on the body through which the actuating member extends for moving the valve member between valve open and closed positions relative to the valve seat portion. There is a shoulder in the casing against which the valve seat body engages. There is also biasing means acting between the guide and the actuating member to maintain an engagement bias of the valve seat body toward the shoulder.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,943,963 discloses a faucet having a cartridge employing a cam and plunger type of closure means adapted to regulate the flow of fluid therethrough. The plunger, which is in communication with the faucet inlet and is urged away from its seat by the incoming fluid, is restricted in movement by a cam cooperating with a handle to thereby regulate the flow of fluid through the faucet.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,952,770 discloses a wall hydrant which includes a wall-penetrating straight tubular conduit, a valving member movable axially in and out of sealing engagement with a reduced inlet connection valving bore, and a hollow cylindrical end casting on the conduit outer end providing a lateral conduit outlet opening from a discharge bore. There is a plug in the outer casting end having a threaded aperture with a key-rotated stem threaded therethrough connected with a shaft to axially shift, upon rotation, the valving member moved by the shaft inner end and a shaft-carried flange slideably O-ring sealable on an interior surface controlling exterior draining and air vent openings associated with the plug. The valving and flange seals are spaced, relative to the controlling surface and inlet bore spacing, for conduit drainage and vent opening after inlet closure. There is, in combination with the hydrant, a wall box, a vacuum breaker and air inlet device. The air inlet device includes an integral enlargement on the casting outlet, a cap secured thereon with a hose connection as the hydrant final discharge and having air vents, a molded flexible elastomeric hollow element with cylindrical and open-ended conical inner end portions fitted into the mating enlargement end and having a conical outer end portion in the cap normally sealing the vents, and a member with a head within the flexible element shiftable outwardly with water flow against the outer conical portion to increase vent sealing pressure and gravitationally biased back toward the inner conical portion. The head is plurally through-apertured at locations radially inward of vent closing seal contact. The inner portion has a spacer formation preventing aperture closure by head contact therewith. The outer conical end of the molded element is flexible inwardly to open the vents, and on further flexing to seal upon a head outward projection. With the head gravitationally moved against the space and the other end sealed by the element, back flow is prevented and the air vents opened for hose drainage and/or vacuum breaking.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,078,547 discloses a modular hydraulic valve which includes a valve manifold and a number of valve cartridge elements disposed at least partly within cavities defined in the valve manifold. To encourage interchangeability and reduce manufacturing costs, each cavity includes a number of axially aligned steps of progressively decreasing diameter. The outermost step of each cavity is defined by a diameter identical with the outermost step diameter of all other cavities, regardless of whether those other cavities define one or more than one additional step. Likewise, the second outermost step in each cavity is defined by another diameter which is substantially identical with the second step diameter of all other cavities having two or more steps.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,250,912 discloses a faucet with an extractable cartridge enclosing two plates sliding at mutual contact for the control of the water flow. The envelope of the cartridge is inserted in the faucet body in non-rotatable manner but with a possibility of axial displacement, and a shoulder of a rotatable portion of the cartridge abuts against the internal surface of a cover, in view of avoiding need for preloading springs and for severe working tolerances. Both internal plates are identical with one another. A window in the envelope of the cartridge and a recess in the rotatable portion thereof cooperate in throttling the flow in the intermediate control positions.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,331,176 discloses a replaceable cartridge valve assembly adapted for use in a sanitary fitting which includes a pair of discs, each disc having at least one opening or orifice therein to provide the valving function and an auxiliary valve means. The valve assembly is made in the form of a removable cartridge and includes an arrangement of the valve stem which cooperates with an opening in the cartridge housing to provide the auxiliary valve means for throttling downstream from the at least one disc orifice of the disc valve means to provide a stepdown in pressure drop and thereby inhibit and/or reduce cavitation and other objectionable noises.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,407,323 discloses a three-way, normally closed only, pilot air valve for supplying pressurized pilot air to a directional flow control air valve, such as, a four-way valve, a three-way valve, a two-way valve or the like, for shifting the main valve spool of such valves. The valve includes a valve body having a pilot air inlet port, a cylinder port, and an exhaust port. A tubular valve retainer member having an axial bore formed therethrough is releasably mounted in the valve body. A first passageway connects the pressurized pilot air inlet port to the cylinder port. A second passageway connects the cylinder port with the exhaust port. A captive poppet valve spool is movably mounted in the valve retainer member for controlling the flow of air through the two passageways.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,821,762 discloses a freezeless wall faucet having a removable cartridge. An elongated housing has a bore extending therethrough with an inlet end at one end and an outlet nozzle at the other end. A removable cartridge is inserted within the bore and includes the valve assembly and the handle and operating rod for moving the valve assembly. The entire working valve assembly and operating rod can be removed as a unit for replacement of O-rings or other parts. A back flow preventor is provided within the housing.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,821,765 discloses a removable cartridge type valve which has a minimum number of parts yet affords right and left hand conversion for cold and hot water usage in the same valve. A cross-shaped groove is provided on the top of the movable disk, and the stem selectively is inserted into one or the other arm of the groove. The valve also provides a secure fitment of the valve stem in the valve body through the use of a grooveless-type retaining member. Further, any tendency for bottom gasket members to be forced down out of the valve housing is eliminated by the use of an L-shaped gasket. Binding is also reduced by thinning the gasket adjacent to the intersection of the arms of the "L" on the gasket.
Reference is also made to U.S. Design Pat. Nos. D-244,605, D-282,099, D-285,824 and D-285,825.